Woman set up fake Sandy Hook funeral fund, authorities say

HARTFORD, Conn. – A New York City woman has been arrested by federal authorities who say she tried to scam donors by posing as a relative of one of the children killed at a Connecticut elementary school.

Thirty-seven-year-old Nouel Alba was arrested Thursday and charged with lying to FBI agents.

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Federal prosecutors say she used her Facebook account, telephone calls and text messages to seek donations for what she called a "funeral fund."

Authorities say Alba denied seeking the donations when she was contacted by FBI agents investigating charity scams related to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A gunman killed 20 children and six adults there on Dec. 14.

Alba, of the Bronx, appeared Thursday in federal court in Hartford and was released on $50,000 bond. A number listed for her was not in service.